Multiple coaxial connector



Dec. 29,1970 R. VOLINSKIE 3,551,8?4

MULTIPLE COAXIAL CONNECTOR 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 31, 1968 INVEMTOL QOBEBT VOLINSIflE Dec. 29, 1970 R. VOLINSKIE MULTIPLE COAXIAL CONNECTOR 3 ts-Sheet 3 iled July 31 19 lug 'NVENYOQ.

BEE-r ume I H ux/ 4 9, 1970 R. VOLINSKIE MULTIPLE COAXIAL CONNECTOR 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed July 31, 1968 INVENTOR- noaefl'r vouNsvME WW United States Patent O 3,551,874 MULTIPLE COAXIAL CONNECTOR Robert Volinskie, Hershey, Pa., assignor to AMP Incorporated, Harrisburg, Pa. Filed July 31, 1968, Ser. No. 749,029 Int. Cl. H011 23/24 US. Cl. 33917 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A multiple coaxial connector assembly is disclosed which features a printed circuit board having contact pins staked thereto interconnected by conductive paths on the board. The contact pins extend outwardly from the board in a pattern to be engaged by coaxial connectors mounted in mating blocks which extend around the board.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In many applications there is a requirement for connecting a series of shielded signal paths to pairs of similar signal paths. US. Pat. No. 3,160,456 to M. F. OKeefe et al., granted Dec. 8, 1964, shows one such application and discloses a connector assembly for accommodating T-type coaxial connectors in multiple. The connector of this patent features a series of discrete coaxial connectors which are fitted within insulating blocks housing mating halves of the connectors. US. Pat. No. 3,219,963

to M. F. OKeefe, granted Nov. 23, 1965, shows a coaxial connector for accommodating Y-type coaxial connections. The disclosure. of this latter patent features an improved connector construction to simplify assembly of numerous small conductive and insulating elements which make up the connector. US. Pat. No. 3,201,743 to I. H. Huber et al., granted Aug. 17, 1965, discloses yet a further multiple connector assembly which features a metal stamped outer conductor body for the connector elements. These three prior art patents all utilize separately formed electrical connectqrs fitted in loose-pieice into insulating blocks to make up a multiple connector assembly for coaxial and shielded cable. In working with connector applications of the types evidenced by the previously mentioned patents, but with cable of much smaller size, 'a number of ditficultiesha-ve been encountered, due in part to the usual assembly techniques acceptable for the largersized connectors. These techniques involve, for example, drilling and tapping of pin members to pro- .vide a threaded connection for T and Y type connectors,

fitting dielectric inserts within outer conductor structures and assemblying the center pin members and dielectric elements within the outer conductive structures. These difliculties lead to the discovery which forms the basis of the present application.

SUMMARY THE INVENTION 'The present invention relates to multiple coaxial connectors of the type used to interconnect coaxial .and

shielded cable. It is an objectof the invention to provide a'multiple coaxial connector assembly which lends it- 3,551,874 Patented Dec. 29, 1970 'ice is comprised of plated plastic blocks defining receptacles for coaxial connector plugs and including mating portions shaped to receive, support and house a printed circuit board having center contact pin members staked thereto and interconnected by printed circuit paths on such board. In a preferred embodiment twenty-one shielded Y connections are provided through a printed circuit board carrying twenty-one center contact pins extending from one side joined through printed circuit paths to forty-two contact pins extending from the other side. These contact pins form the inner conductive signal paths of twenty-one coaxial connectors plugged into one side of the connector assembly and to two sets of twenty-one coaxial connectors plugged into the other side of the assembly. The shielding or ground path for the assembly is carried by the plating of the aforementioned blocks. The contact pins mounted on the printed circuit board are supported within the receptacles in the plated blocks by insulating bushings fitted on such pins.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the connector assembly of the invention showing the contact pin carrying printed circuit board and the connector block halves, separated for clarity;

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the assembly of FIG. 1 connected together and additionally showing connector blocks oriented for mating with the connector assembly of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a side view sectioned along lines 3-3 of FIG. 2 showing the connector assembly mated with the connectors depicted in FIG. 2;

FIG. 3A is a sectional View, enlarged, of the front end of a connector as depicted in FIG. 3;

FIG. 3B is a sectional view of an alternative version of the board curved contact member including a contact receptacle end fitted over a mating pin of a connector;

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the various components of FIG. 3 in section and separated prior to assembly;

FIG. 5 is an elevational view of the contact carrying printed circuit board of the connector assembly of the invention enlarged approximately three times actual size; and

FIG. 6 is an elevational view of the structure of FIG. 5 as viewed from the right of the showing in FIG. 5.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings and first to FIGS. 2 and 3, the functional objective of the assembly of the invention is to interconnect a given shielded and coaxial lead 96 shown to the lower in such figures to one or both shielded and coaxial leads 102 shown to the upper in such figures. These leads are each terminated to a coaxial connector plug 94, which may have a construction like that shown in US. Pat. No. 3,323,098 to M. F. OKeefe et al., granted May 30, 1967. The various leads 96 may be thought of as input signal paths to be interconnected to pairs of output signal paths supplying electronic or electrical equipment, as in a computer or the like. The structure shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, facilitates this interconnection with signal paths in a manner permitting a set of output signal paths 102 to be disconnected while the leads of the other components remain in connection. Alternatively, the structure of such assemblies facilitates separation and replacement of sets of connectors for input and/or output connections in multiple. While the embodiment of the invention chosen to illustrate a preferred embodiment thereof features a Y-type connection of shielded and coaxial paths, it is to be understood that various branching applications are contemplated. For example, a given input signal path may be connected to more than two output signal paths by merely changing the disposition of printed circuit paths upon the printed circuit element. The invention also contemplates connecting certain of the input signal paths together, if desired.

Referring now to FIG. 1, the conector assembly of the invention may be seen to be comprised of three parts, including a single connector block 12, a double connector block 28 and a printed circuit board 60 carrying contact pin elements. These three parts are fitted together in the manner shown in FIG. 3 and are normally held together in the manner shown in FIG. 2 for handling and installation in use. The single and double connector halves are in a preferred embodiment comprised of an insulating and dielectric material. Half 12 includes a block portion 14 having a series of apertures 16 adapted to receive connector elements 94 inserted therein in the manner shown in FIG. 3. These apertures are arranged in two rows and extend through the body of half 12. At each end of the rows of apertures 16 is a keying hole 18 (FIG. 3) adapted to receive a keying pin such as 63 (FIG. 2), which aligns a mating connector with the half. A flange 19 (FIG. 1) extends around the forward portion of 14 and includes in the outside edges a pair of holes 20 adapted to mount the half 12 to a rack panel R in the manner shown in FIG. 2. Inboard of mounting holes 20 are pairs of holes 22 through which are fitted screw assemblies adapted to hold the single half 12 to the double half 28 in the manner shown in FIG. 2. Leading to each hole 22 is a grooved slot 24 facilitating access to a related screw assembly. To the right in FIGS. 1 and 2, flange 19 may be seen to include on each side a projection 26 which accommodates the volume of a screw assembly and further serves to align half 12 with half 28 and captivate the element 60 between the single and double halves. The edges of flange 19 include extensions providing a stand-off surface 27, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

Referring further to FIG. 1, the dou-be half 28 includes a pair of block portions 30 and 40. Each block portion is provided with pairs of mounting holes like 32, one at each end, which are on centers to line up with the mounting holes 22 of single half 12. FIG. 2 shows single half 12 secured to rack panel R by a spring loaded screw assembly which permits the two halves 12 and 28 to move in an axial sense relative to the hole in R to accommodate variations in mating with connectors such as 90. FIG. 2 further shows a screw assembly 52 locking single half 12 to the double half 28.

The double half 28 includes a forward lower portion 34 having a double row of apertures 36 extended thereacross and through the body of 28. A lip portion 38 is extended out from 34 to engage the end face of 12 in the manner shown in FIG. 3 to define a volume accommodating the part 60. The block portion 40 is similar to 30 to include a double row of apertures 42 extending through 28 and a lip 44 which serves the same function as the lip 38 on the lower part of the block. The body half 28 is divided by a slot 46 extending between 30 and 40 which serves to accommodate portions of connectors mated with 28 in the manner shown in FIG. 3.

As depicted in FIGS. 1, 5 and 6, part is comprised of a board 62 which is preferably of rigid plastic sheet material, such as used for printed circuit boards, having a series of conductive paths thereon which may be left by etching away the foil of a printed circuit board. Each of the paths 64 includes an enlarged area at the end, as at 66, to receive a contact pin 68, three such pins being provided for each path 64. As can be discerned from FIGS. 5 and 6, one of the three contact pins is made to extend from one side of the board with the other two pins extending from the other side of the board. The three contact pins are in a common plane in a vertical sense and mounted on the board in a pattern to fit within the apertures of the single and double halves 12 and 28. FIG. 3 shows a set of three pins fitted within the apertures of the halves 12 and 28. As shown in FIG. 5, each of the contact pins includes a rear hollow portion fitted through a hole in the board and flared outwardly to draw a spaced flange portion 71 tightly against the board and stake the contact pin member to the board. Spaced from portion 71, as shown in FIG. 5, is a further flange portion 72 which serves as a stop for an insulating bushing 74 fitted over the contact pin member. The bushing 74 has an enlarged portion 76 which is of a diameter to fit within an aperture of the single and double halves 12 and 28 to support the contact pin concentrically of such aperture. The forward portion of each contact pin is reduced and pointed as at 78 to fit within a contact receptacle 95 of a connector 94 plugged within the single and double halves 12 and 28. FIG. 3A shows an engagement between a connector and a contact pin. As shown in FIGS. 3, 4, 5 and 6, a number of resilient gaskets 80 are fitted over the corner contact pins. These gaskets bias board 62 inwardly against the stand-off surface 27 of the single half 12, in the manner shown in FIG. 3, to prevent the board from movement within the single and double halves of the connector assembly.

As a preferred practice, the printed circuit paths are pretinned or presoldered at the site of entry of each contact pin with sutficient heat for reflow being applied as at 70 following staking of a contact pin' to a board to provide a permanent connection between the contact pin path 64.

FIG. 2 shows the contact assembly of FIG. 1 locked together and mounted in a rack panel R. To the left of the contact assembly is a mating connector half 90, hard mounted in a panel P by screw assemblies 98. The panel P may be thought of as the rear wall of an equipment drawer or the like. Input leads 96 to the connector extend into the connector 90 for connection to individual connectors 94 which are positioned for insertion in the apertures 16 of the single half 12. The aligning pins 63 which fit within aligning apertures 18 of the single half are shown in FIG. 2 projecting forwardly of the main body of the connector 90. As the connector 90 is displaced relative to the connector assembly 10, the aligning pins 63 enter apertures 18, causing the various connector plugs 94 to enter the various apertures 16 and engage and receive the contact pin portions 78. FIG. 3 shows such an engagement. A pair of connectors 90 are provided for the double half of the contact assembly. Each of the connectors 90 utilized for the double half include screw assemblies 100, as shown in FIG. 2, and in FIG. 3, which mate with outer and female ends of screw assemblies 52 utilized to hold the single and double halves together.

Each of the connector plugs 94 includes an outer conductive shell which is terminated to the outer conductor of a shielded or coaxial cable and an inner contact element terminated to the inner conductor of a coaxial shielded cable. In accordance with the invention the plug inner contact element has a forward spring receptacle centered in a dielectric insert to engage the end 78 of a contact pin of a connector assembly of the invention. Reference has been previously made to US. Pat. 3,323,098 for a teaching of a preferred construction of a subminiature coaxial connector having the features heretofore mentioned relative to the connector plugs 94.

The structure thus far illustrated and described provides an interconnection between a given coaxial and shielded signal path 96 and a pair of similar paths 102, through part 60, including the contact pins and the conductive paths which are a part thereof. In accordance with one use of the invention, an interconnection of the inner signal conductors of such leads without overall shielding is quite adequate and unplated half blocks may be used. For other applications, the plastic material utilized for the single and double halves 12 and 28 are, as mentioned, plated with a conductive metal so as to provide a shielding of a signal path, to provide a continuity of the outer conductors of the cable and to provide a ground plane which is common [or all connections. Reference is made to U.S. Pat. No. 3,363,221 to F. B. Stark, granted Jan. 8, 1968, for a teaching of a plastic plating technique useful with the present invention. It is also contemplated that the single and double halves of the connector assembly of the invention may be comprised of metal cast or machined into the configurations depicted to serve as a ground plane and shielding structure for signal paths.

While the contact elements 68 have been depicted as pins shaped to mate within contact receptacles of connector plugs, the invention contemplates a use of contact elements having receptacle ends mounted on 60 to mate with pin elements within a connector plug. FIG. 3B shows a contact member 68' with a receptacle end 78' fitted with a connector plug 94' having a mating pin member 95'.

Having now described the invention in terms intended to enable the preferred practice thereof, in its various modes, claims are appended which are believed to define what is inventive.

What is claimed is:

1. In a multiple connector assembly for interconnecting electrical leads, first and second connector blocks each including a series of apertures adapted to receive connectors fitted therein, a further connector element comprised of an insulating board member having a series of contact members affixed thereto with certain of said contact members projecting from said board member in a pattern to fit within the apertures of the said first connector block and others of said contact members extending in a pattern to extend within the apertures of the said second connetcor block, the said first and second connector blocks including facing portions relieved to accommodate the volume of said board member and shaped to fit together to hold said board member therebetween with the said contact members of said board member extending within the apertures of said blocks, one of said first and second connector blocks having a stand-off surface within its relieved portion, a plurality of resilient gaskets disposed on the pins of said board member on the side opposite the connector block having the stand-01f portion the said board member including a series of conductive paths printed thereon connecting said certain and other contact members together in patterns to provide an interconnection of the connectors of the said one of said connector blocks to the connectors of the said other of said connector blocks.

2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the said connectors fitted within said first and second connector blocks are coaxial connectors each including an inner contact element and an outer contact element and the said contact members afiixed to said board member each include means to align such contact member for engagement with the inner contact element of a given connector.

3. The assembly of claim 2 wherein said first and second connector blocks are comprised of a plastic material plated with a conductive material extended within the apertures of said connector blocks and engaged by the outer contact element of each said connectors to provide a common ground connection and overall shielding.

4. The assembly of claim 2 wherein said first and second connector blocks are comprised of metal to provide a connection with the outer said connector elements of said connectors providing a shielding and ground plane connection. I

5. The assembly of claim 2 wherein said contact members affixed to said board member each include forward pin portions and said connectors include contact spring receptacles receiving said pin portions.

6. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said contact members affixed to said board members include forward contact spring receptacle portions and the said connectors include contact pin portions inserted within the receptacle portions of said contact members for providing a connection therebetween.

7. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the said board member conductive paths interconnect at least one contact member and a connector of said first connector block to at least two other contact elements and at least two connectors of said second connector block.

8. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said first connector block includes structure to receive at least one mating connector half and said second connector block includes structure to receive at least two mating connector halves.

9. The assembly of claim 1 wherein each of said contact elements carries an insulating spacer of a diameter to fit within the apertures of the connector housings to support said contact elements concentrically of said apertures for mating engagement with the connector elements of said connector housings.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,083,274 3/1963 Sparkes 339(M)X 3,086,188 4/1963 Ross 33949 3,160,456 12/1964 OKeefe et al. 33992(M) 3,201,743 8/1965 Huber et al. 33992(M) 3,219,963 11/1965 OKeefe 33992(M)X 3,271,726 9/1966 Pfendler 33949 3,281,627 10/1966 Fetterolf et al. 339l7(LM)X 3,295,092 12/1966 Newman et al. 33918(B) 3,323,098 5/1967 OKeefe et al. 339-177 3,363,221 1/1968 Stark 339--177(E) 3,413,594 11/1968 Fernald et al. 339176(MP) MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner P; A. CLIFFORD, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 339176, 177 

